


Sanctuary

by TrippinOverMyFandoms



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Cuddles, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Multi, No Beta, OT3, hiccup sandwich, hurt comfort, pure fluff, this is how i die, threeway
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-02
Updated: 2019-07-02
Packaged: 2020-06-02 15:38:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19444420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrippinOverMyFandoms/pseuds/TrippinOverMyFandoms
Summary: Hiccup didn't want to do anything to make Eret think he wasn't welcome.  Especially now that Eret was holding Hiccup the way he was. Cuddling him. Cuddling with a lot of unsureness but still cuddling.And if Hiccup had one weakness it was definitely being held.





	Sanctuary

**Author's Note:**

> This is our sanctuary,  
> Where you can find shelter and peace,  
> This is our sanctuary,  
> You are, you are safe with me

Each passing day seemed to present a new challenge for the young chief of Berk. 

Though it had been quite some time since he was made chief, Hiccup had yet to get the hang of it. He could pretty easily lead his people into a battle and handle rather stressful do-or-die situations, he had grown up doing do. It was like second nature to him and he was the best in a true crisis. Though civil matters on the other hand had proven to be the exact opposite of his forte. 

He was hesitant in his response to issues like what to do when a farm's fence had been rebuilt a little too far to the right, encroaching on the space of another farm. Though the simple answer would be to just rebuild it, he wanted to give an answer that would make whatever action taken convenient for both parties involved. Astrid told him he was too soft.

But that was just the viking population that grew at a fairly normal rate. The dragon one grew at quite a terrifyingly rapid pace and presented even more challenges.

Things needed to be remodeled anyways after Drago's Bewilderbeast had left a lot of the village in shambles so new homes and larger dragon stables where built to accommodate the human and reptile residents. Though as more dragons were rescued and as the ones already there breeded, Berk was quickly becoming overwhelmed with the large creatures.

Their large size even presented challenges. Sure the Vikings loved having friends for life but they tended to be a little reckless. Causing even more problems.

And sometimes all the problems created more pressure and Hiccup was able to thrive in the chaos and make quicker an better decisions. Though every viking had his his breaking point and unfortunately his was never very high to begin with. Especially not in a time of grief. 

Whereas the village's chaos would be the most normal thing just on a grander scale, it was hard to deal with when Hiccup was still greatly affected by the loss of his father. Those waves of grief added to what was already under his chaos-tamer surface. Things like nerves of being the new chief, making sure everyone is happy, self doubt, and it didn't help when regrets for past events creeped into the mix. Most of the time they weren't really anything that was his fault but they still got to him. 

Everything piled on and piled on until it was too much. 

So now he lay, stiff as a board on his bed. He hadn't even bothered to take off his armor and poor Toothless, who lay at the end of his bed, still had his saddle and gear on him. Hiccup felt bad, he really did. He didn't mean to neglect the dragon who had followed him into the house but the day had been long and as soon as the sun began to set he headed for home. Once his eyes fell on his bed he had gone straight to it and lay down. Toothless didn't wholly mind anyways. He was there mostly for moral support even if Hiccup had pushed the scaly creature away when Toothless had tried to nose Hiccup into some self care. 

But he lay there, staring up at the wooden ceiling, trying his hardest to tune out the village noises outside. It wasn't too hard especially since he was letting all the things he had been feeling the past few months wash over him. 

He didn't cry, though it would be perfectly acceptable if he had. He had done enough of that and just felt like he didn't have a tear left in him. Instead he was still. His breathing coming somewhat evenly. If it wasn't for the blinking of his eyelids one would think he was in some coma. Just as easily he could be mistaken for in a trance. He sort of was. Stuck in one of self pity and sorrows. He wasn't sure what it was, maybe it was just resting. He wasn't sleeping, no that was for the body. Whatever he was doing now was for his mind.

He doesn't move when he hears the footsteps coming up the stairs or the creak of his bedroom door opening. Not even when a voice he's grown used to and quite fond of recently says, "Hiccup?" It's questioning, like the speaker isn't sure if they've over stepped but really wants to be sure if Hiccup is okay or not. 

"Astrid sent me. She saw you headed up here and asked me to check up on you. She didn't really have to ask though, I was already on my way." Eret's face comes into view when he perches on the edge of Hiccup's bed and peers down at the younger Viking. 

Hiccup makes eye contact with him, not moving his head much, just mostly his gaze. He studies the other's face and though he finally looks like he's comfortable for once where he is- he's not sure if the look of unsureness will ever leave Eret's features. Which seemed like an odd expression for such an outwardly cocky man to have hidden in the finer details of his face. But Hiccup new why it was there. Eret had admitted to both him and Astrid one night that he just wasn't sure how the rest of the village felt about him and after years of dragon trapping he just felt so out of place in the village. That level of self consciousness he shared with Hiccup and Hiccup figured that that's why he himself had gravitated so much towards the older man the past few months. He wasn't exactly sure what had drawn Astrid to Eret however. Though he was never sure what drew her to himself either. 

He's not sure how or when it all happened but at some point while he was thinking about everything, Eret had gotten and removed his armor. Hiccup didn't notice until he felt something down around the more sensitive areas where his left leg ended just past his knee and realized that the older man was removing his prosthetic as well. Somehow just that alone seemed to make such a huge difference and even diminished some of the headache that he had the beginnings of. Hiccup also wondered if Eret had taken off Toothless' things as well and a glance at the dragon said yes.

But he felt guilty because he also realized that Eret had been talking still and he had heard none of it. He also wasn't sure how much of it was to him and how much was to Toothless. Eret seemed to talk to the Night Fury almost as much as he did. He did that to quite a few dragons actually now that Hiccup though about it. He wondered if it was some way of gaining forgiveness from the creatures or something. But he also knew Eret was still pretty fascinated with them as well since he had only ever seen them be vicious things. 

Hiccup only managed to catch the tail end of whatever the other man had been saying. Something about Astrid and his mom and how all the dragon riders were put to work with doing jobs they couldn't mess up too bad so Hiccup didn't have to do them. From that he put together that Astrid and Valka had picked up on his deeper issues and began instructing his friends on things to do around the village. He really hoped they didn't give the twins a task that had to do with the farms, or Snotlout with any civil matters. The three most chaotic members of the team did have skills but if they weren't in the right areas things could go really bad. But Astrid knew this so Hiccup trusted that they were in the right places. He felt little aches in his back melt away a little and he wasn't sure if it was at the thought of less work he'd have to do or that he was actually finally getting comfortable thanks to Eret. 

Hiccup begins to absentmindedly run his fingers just slightly over the soft fur of the blanket beneath him. He was loosing himself to his mind and needed a physical touch to tether himself back to reality. He had let himself get lost like that before and nearly fell off Toothless in the middle of a flight once. Though he wasn't a up thousands feet in the air right now he was more worried something could happen and he wouldn't know until it was too late. He feels his body begin to tense again and he mentally curses himself because he was just starting to relax. 

Hiccup didn't realize he had audibly winced, at how his muscles contracted when he tensed again, until he heard the bed creak a little next to him and that his body was being moved. His conclusion was that Eret had heard his distress and came to his aide. Though the action wasn't unwelcome it had still startled him. His fight or flight had kicked in and he did his best to slow down and deepen his breathing. Especially when he had heard Eret tell him, "You're alright." in what had to be the calmest most gentle tone Hiccup had yet to hear from the man and Hiccup finally managed to relax and let himself be pulled against the older man. 

Though this certainly was not the first time the two had been this physically close in this way it was still very new to both of them. With Astrid, Hiccup knew all her boundaries and all her intentions so he knew if it was her he would have relaxed much sooner. With Eret on the other hand, he was more afraid of doing something wrong and scaring him away. As if one shift would make the other man think he didn't want the action. Hiccup didn't want to do anything to make Eret think he wasn't welcome. Especially now that Eret was holding Hiccup the way he was. Cuddling him. Cuddling with a lot of unsureness but still cuddling. 

And if Hiccup had one weakness it was definitely being held. 

He didn't know exactly why he was such a slut for something so innocent but it made him feel vulnerable in all the best ways. And when it was with someone he loved, like Astrid or even when he was curled up against Toothless, he was able to just melt and let everything he had been feeling relax away. It was the best thing in the world to him. 

The way Eret was half sitting, lounging, next to him on the bed, arms wrapped almost protectively around him, one around his back and stroking his arm gently while the other was laid over his waist, his head was even by Eret's heart and it was so damn perfect he wanted to cry. 

But instead he just let out a long sigh and closed his eyes, taking in the other with his senses. Listening to the heart beat and breathing of the older man, steady and strong, stable and content, unwavering. He smelled salty but in a good way, like the ocean had permanently left its mark on the sailor. He may now be a dragon rider but Hiccup knew Eret's heart belonged to the sea and not the air. It made them polar opposites in that way but something about it just made him more attractive. Eret was so different and he held so much mystery to him. Hiccup wanted to solve everything and discover everything about him. 

Hiccup felt himself dozing off when he heard the door creak open and a voice he was easily able to identity as Astrid's follow the sound, asking Eret, "How is he?"

"Seems alright now. Hasn't said a word yet but he's been through a lot, it's understandable." Eret replies, looking from Astrid who had just entered and down to where Hiccup lay in his arms. Instead of returning his gaze, Hiccup nuzzles his face into the other's chest and hums happily when he feels Eret's fingers brush his bangs back and then run through his hair down to the base of his scalp and back through again. He felt the digits get stuck on a few tangles and he just now realizes that somehow he had let his hair get long enough to even have tangles. 

"I'm sure," Astrid hums, Hiccup can feel where she perches on the bed on the opposite side of where Eret is, "but he's also stubborn like that. He has this habit of not opening up easily. Isn't that right?" The last part she speaks to him, almost in the same tone she uses when speaking to Stormfly, and she moves a piece of his hair behind his ear. 

Suddenly he's being moved and he groans a protest but soon instead of being on his side cuddled into Eret he's on his back between the embraces of both Eret and Astrid with them both stroking his hair.

Hiccup is pretty sure he's died and gone to Valhalla. 

Not much about how Eret was holding him has changed but it's not copied by Astrid. The two are so different and that's easy for him to pick up on. Astrid is much smaller than the other male but that doesn't stop her from being just as strong. She's a mix of tough and soft that no one can match. She doesn't smell like the sea but she doesn't smell like the air either. Her sent carries a sense of hard work and a roaring campfire that only adds to her beautiful and strong physique.

Astrid is the earth. Eret is the sea. Hiccup is the air. 

And then he actually does cry. Because it's all so perfect. They're both perfect. He doesn't deserve how amazing they've been for him yet here they are. It's almost as if he has two guardians protecting him on either side. The way they hold him has so much love to it he can feel it and it makes every bit of his being melt like ice by a fire. And in a way he was. All the hardships and things he had been through over the recent months giving him a hard and cold exterior and Astrid and Eret's love for him being a fire to take all that away, leaving him happy and content.

He doesn't exactly realize at first how hard he's actually crying, instead of a few sniffles and stray tears it's a steady stream and Eret is gently shushing him and Astrid is kissing the tears from his cheeks as he cries. And somehow they hold him even closer.

Hiccup does his best to even out his breathing, get all his feelings under control, so he can properly communicate how grateful he is for his rescuers who saw his hurt and distress and came to take it all away. 

"I love you. Both of you." He manages, and moves for himself this time to hold onto both of them. He's almost afraid that if he lets go whatever fever dream he's having will end, because there's no way that all this perfection is real. 

But the heat of their bodies and the combined rhythm of their breathing, which had to be the most beautiful sound Hiccup has ever heard, is evidence enough that they aren't going anywhere. That he can relax. 

Like that he drifts into sleep, cuddled between the two people he loved most in the world.

**Author's Note:**

> If you've never listened to Sanctuary by Welshly Arms go do it. I was in the middle of writing this and didn't have a title and was kinda drifting from the work a bit but while going through my playlist it hit me like a box of rocks and instantly I was like "this is definitely their theme song".   
> It just fits the trio so well
> 
> This is probably a dead ship but I love the three of them so much. Separately and together in different ways. 
> 
> This is also my first time writing for a poly ship so if this flowed weird that's why.
> 
> Anyways- I hope you guys enjoyed!!
> 
> Kudos, comments, and constructive criticism welcome!!


End file.
